There are a lot of opinions out there today about who is supposedly in and out of the LeBron James sweepstakes.

Some have already written the Knicks off, and some have weighed in with actual facts about what took place in their meeting Thursday with James.

I am here to tell you that I believe the Knicks are still very much in the race, and I've gathered a little intel of my own regarding what went on behind those closed doors off 9th Street in Cleveland.

Aside from their financial pitch to James that he could most easily become a billionaire by playing in New York, the Knicks made a basketball pitch to James -- backed up with video highlights -- demonstrating how their complimentary players are better suited than anyone else's to supplement what James and the big man of his choice (Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, David Lee, Carlos Boozer) would bring to the table.

Question: How many shooters do the Bulls have? Answer: None. Derrick Rose is a career 24 pct. 3-point shooter, and Luol Deng is at 31 percent -- the same as Wilson Chandler, who would get a lot more open looks than he did in the past in a LeBron-centric offense. The Knicks also have Danilo Gallinari, who is shooting 39 percent from 3-point range for his career. (Toney Douglas also hit 3s at a 39 percent clip last season.)

Variation of the same question: How many shooters do the Heat have? Mario Chalmers (who lost his starting job to Carlos Arroyo last season) hits 'em at a 38 percent clip. Michael Beasley is at 33 pct in his two seasons. Joel Anthony has never taken one, which merits mentioning because he, along with Beasley and Chalmers, are the only players Miami has.

Question: What possible hidden gem does Chicago have on its roster? Only Taj Gibson and James Johnson qualify, and one or both might have to be moved in a sign-and-trade in order for the Bulls to get a second max player. Compare those two to Bill Walker, who was one of the most highly recruited and touted players in the 2006-07 high school senior class that included O.J. Mayo and Rose. Walker's career was sidetracked by a serious knee injury, but he has dropped 27 pounds (from 254 to 227) since the Knicks acquired him from Boston in the Nate Robinson trade, and his knee is fully recovered.

Question: What kind of salary cap/trade deadline flexibility will the Bulls/Heat have going into the 2010-11 season? Answer: Virtually none. Chicago has to lock up Joakim Noah next summer and Rose the year after that, and Miami, if it gets two max players, can only gain flexibility for the summer of 2011 by declining the fourth-year option on Beasley's contract prior to the start of the '10-11 season. The Knicks, on the other hand, have Eddy Curry's expiring $11.3 contract to use in one of two ways: Trade it at the deadline for a player or players that would make the Knicks stronger championship contenders next spring; or let it come off the cap at the end of next season, putting the Knicks some $10-12 million under the cap for the Summer of Carmelo.

I have it on good authority that the Knicks pounded those points with James, arguing that their complimentary players are better than they've been given credit for, and that adding a third max player in 2011 is an achievable possibility.

Those are persuasive arguments, and the Cavaliers (capped out next summer because of Antawn Jamison trade) and Bulls can't make similar cases when they meet with James today in Cleveland.

And what about the Nets?

I don't count them out, but I also think their two-year temporary relocation to Newark while they await the construction of the new arena in Brooklyn is a deal-breaker.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, who has covered James since he was in high school, and whose mother taught math to James at St. Vincent-St.Mary high school in Akron, thought it would be a good idea a couple of Januarys ago to take an Amtrak train from Newark to Washington, D.C. while the Cavs were on an East Coast road swing.

I'll let Windhorst take it from here:

"I would describe it as an hour of staying away from the wackos and drug-addled degenerates while keeping a serious close eye on the various unsavory individuals who were an obvious threat to property and body. I went out and on the platform, where it was 15 degrees, because there was nobody else out there," Windhorst said. "I don't want to offend the Newark Chamber of Commerce, but I would never plan on doing that ever again. And I'm a big Amtrak fan."

One more question: How many media people have spoken to LeBron James about any of this? (I have tried, but he is not returning my messages.) I'd bet a dollar the answer is none.

good read. valid points in the article and this video just further ethered the nets lmao

Jul 03, 2010, 19:20

mafra

Straws have already been drawn. After the LAL-BOS of the 80s, CHI-NY captured the nation. Wade-Lebron want to revive that rivalry.... The LAL-BOS wars of the last few years are over.... Time to get retro.

Wade wants to return home, Lebron wants NYC.

Wade picked BOsh to play with, Lebron was cool with Amar'e.

Now let's roll!

Let's battle for the next 3 years. Winner gets Kobe next season.

Jul 03, 2010, 19:22

Paul1355

Quote:

Originally Posted by mafra

Straws have already been drawn. After the LAL-BOS of the 80s, CHI-NY captured the nation. Wade-Lebron want to revive that rivalry.... The LAL-BOS wars of the last few years are over.... Time to get retro.

Wade wants to return home, Lebron wants NYC.

Wade picked BOsh to play with, Lebron was cool with Amar'e.

Now let's roll!

Let's battle for the next 3 years. Winner gets Kobe next season.

LBJ should be more intriguined by seeing Amare on the Knicks with Gallo, Chandler, Toney D and Walker...and possibly Mike Miller.

One person with close ties to James ‘ “team” said the person with the most influence on James – his longtime friend and business manager, Maverick Carter – wants nothing to do with the Knicks and views remaining with the Cavs or going to Chicago to join Derrick Rose as the better options.

He's afraid to roll with the big boys in the Big Apple, because he's not a legit, self-made big name. Exposure is the death of all parasitic blood suckers. He's nothing and he knows it.

Trust me, this little ****er will be the soul reason LBJ goes to Chicago, or stays home.

Jul 05, 2010, 06:49

Kiyaman

Questions for this thread

1) The Cleveland Cavs is Lebron hometown right? 2) Lebron do have a helluva big fan-base in Cleveland right? 3) that do include family/childhood friends/and more right? 4) The Cleveland Cavs is the only NBA team that can give Lebron
a 6 year contract worth $30M more than any other team right?

With all of the 4 question above being "YES" .......why is it that no-one has yet to mention a sign n trade for Lebron???

Jul 05, 2010, 06:57

nuckles2k2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiyaman

1) The Cleveland Cavs is Lebron hometown right? 2) Lebron do have a helluva big fan-base in Cleveland right? 3) that do include family/childhood friends/and more right? 4) The Cleveland Cavs is the only NBA team that can give Lebron
a 6 year contract worth $30M more than any other team right?

With all of the 4 question above being "YES" .......why is it that no-one has yet to mention a sign n trade for Lebron???

Cavs already said they won't be doing a sign and trade for him.

Jul 05, 2010, 07:01

metrocard

Theres already a LeBron thread...you guys are cluttering the forum with redundant **** and making it look mad organized and amateur. Don't take offense to that.

Jul 05, 2010, 07:38

Crazy⑧s

Quote:

Originally Posted by metrocard

Theres already a LeBron thread...you guys are cluttering the forum with redundant **** and making it look mad organized and amateur. Don't take offense to that.

Have another look at your post. You might finally realise that you are mad stupid. Why do you wanna be in charge so badly? You are 'The Alfa Maldito Bori':teeth:

Jul 05, 2010, 07:52

mafra

This is perplexing to me:

"Walsh did confirm that the Knicks' sent assistant GM Glen Grunwald to Cleveland for a second meeting with LeBron's agent, Leon Rose, on Saturday. But he said the meeting was just to clarify the team's cap situation both this year and the next.

"We didn't get into it in our first meeting the way we wanted to," Walsh said. "We just wanted to make sure they had all the information."

HUH? I thought we had two years to prepare? What the helsinki do you mean you wanted to clarify something you din't fell you drilled home the first time?

WOW. I hope he's just finding an excuse to downplay the second meeting, not wanting to show his hand. Because, if this is true, that you were too busy showing LJ The Sopranos and all the money he'll make off the court, but let it slip by all the cap freedom we have? WHAT? I thought that's why we cleared the payroll.

This should have been the first point you focused on. We have cap room this year and flexibility next year. This is the most attractive part of our situation, no?

Jul 05, 2010, 15:23

metrocard

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy8s

Have another look at your post. You might finally realise that you are mad stupid. Why do you wanna be in charge so badly? You are 'The Alfa Maldito Bori':teeth:

Wow...I mad a typo, did that make you bust a nut?

You little fairy, its just really retarded to have a BILLION LeBron threads when we can all discuss the same **** all in one piece...I hate having to keep track on different threads, and a lot of normal people too.

But you're a HATING ass MAGGOT...keep fairying around the forums stalking my post and keeping tabs on me, maricon.

Jul 05, 2010, 16:36

DunkadelicBron6

LeBron to the Knicks, Rumor Thread

Here's the NYK "Blueprint" to landing "King James No.6"
"LeBron's All I Need to be a Knick," King James Blueprint Vol. 1

All I Need, is the rock, give me Amare, on the block, S.T.A.T. and King-6 on attack, I'm the M-V-P back-to-back its...

All I Need, is a billboard, 5-stories, Times Square, next to Diddy, and Rocawear its...

All I Need, is make a trade, for CP3, follow me, a 3-Star MSG show, they will pay 10-G's in the front-row its...

All I Need, is 5 cats, that know their roll, hollar back, 8-man rotation, that's gotta stand bold, its the new N-Y-K, ready to play, not just in the first-round, but all the way, to have a parade on Broadway its..

All I Need, is a coach that lives and for D (Defense)., not trying to win games by draining 3's its.. All I Need is to make my free-throws in the clutch, like the logo, to make my critics hush its... All I Need... for LeBron, to be a Knick, I'm in an "Empire State," Jay and A-Keys sings my anthem its... All I Need...